Eventually
by ScarletOHarra
Summary: Because no matter what universe or time they are in, everyone knows that they are meant to be together...eventually. Modern AU.
1. Chapter 1

**CHAPTER 1**

She places her half-filled wine glass at the table and glanced at the clock.. 845. A little late for her usual dinner but Elsie doesn't seem to have the appetite she used to have.

*ding*

She crosses over the counter to get to the microwave. A heated leftover lasagne by Beryl Patmore from a party three nights ago. She opens and the lid and closes her eyes to savour the smell of melted mozarella mixed in with sprinkles of parmesan. The smell of tomato sauce still bubbling from heat. She turned to her toaster just in time to catch the toasted bread that would go well with her pasta.

This is what her normal Tuesday night looks like: reheated leftover meal (usually from Beryl) and a glass of red wine. Château de Lussac for tonight.

Elsie pulls up her cardigan sleeves as she reaches out for a fork and readies to dig into her meal when her phone rings.

"You're not having the same lasagne for dinner aren't you?" It's Beryl.

"Wha- How did you know that? And you gave me loads of this... I can't possibly finish it in a day!" Feeling a wave of energy as she defends herself from Beryl's accusing tone.

"It's sad Elsie." Sighs before she continues."Why don't you come over here tonight? I roasted beef and got no one to share it with."

"You roasted beef when you've got no one to share it with?" that is a peculiar statement.

Elsie follows up with "What is Bill's excuse this time?"

She knows her friend well enough to assume she was cancelled on the last minute.

"Hey~ That's not fair. But if you must know, he's stuck in a meeting and said he'd be having dinner there." Beryl said confidently, struggling to not accept defeat.

"Oh alright… But I can't come. I'm already in the middle of my dinner and I was thinking I might have an early night..." A little white lie. She just doesn't feel like being with company tonight.

"Are you sure? Daisy is at an overnight and William isn't coming home until this weekend. We can have a bit of girls night!"

Elsie pauses to think.

"Maybe another time Beryl." She's just not in the mood. "I'll come over Saturday for William's welcome home party. Promise.." Hoping that appeases her best friend.

"If you're sure." Beryl pauses and hesitates, but goes on with "Goodnight then.. "

"Goodnight."

She ends the call and places the phone on the counter top. The lasagne isn't as hot as it was but still a bit warm. She eats in silence, closing her eyes every now and then to bask in it's the flavours. Third time this week but this pasta still tastes good. Her best friend is truly a magician in the kitchen.

She finishes the meal and prepares the dishwasher, putting in the right settings. The dishwasher starts and disturbs the silence she has maintained for the past few minutes. She looks for the clock again and sees 930. Just in time to read few pages of her new book before turning in to bed. Isobel recommended it.

"Eat, Pray, Love."

She would have been more inclined to buy it without recommendation if it only said Eat & Pray. She sighs.

Elsie loves the quiet. It's been quiet for 4 years now since she left Joe and it became 'the comfortable' for her now. She still goes out every now and then with Beryl and a few of her colleagues at work but nothings feels more like home than this silence.

When the dishwashers done, She finished off the dishes, turned down the lights and headed upstairs to her room.

Charles opened his eyes and turned to his side to reach out for his watch on the bedside table. 6am.

*Buzzing*

He always wakes up just before his alarm starts. He doesn't really know why he bothers with an alarm. Habit, he supposes.

He gets up and changes to his sweatpants. He goes out of his house to take a jog, like he does every morning since he bought this house a few years ago. He sets of towards the park and meets the regulars.

"Good Morning Mr. Carson!" A brunette woman in her late twenties walking with her 5 corgies greets him as he passes the first benches outside the park.

"Good Morning Ethel" He greets back.

As he turns the corner, he spots a middle aged woman with her sleepy grandson in tow.

"Right on time Mrs. Bryant! Hello little Charlie." He slows down a bit to give the little boy a smile.

It usually takes around 3 rounds around the park before he finishes and heads to the little quaint breakfast shop called 'The Sunrise' and orders himself a traditional English breakfast to take home. The door opens and the woman at the counter spots him immediately and greets him.

"Good Morning Mr. Carson! The regular, I take it?" He nods.

"Thank you Mrs. Bird! Good Morning to you as well" and takes a seat at a nearby table.

In no more than 10 minutes, his meal is ready to go and so he sets off, walks back home with a different route south of the park. He passes by his regular newspaper stall. He spots the stall owner ready with 'The Times' he would purchase.

His 'routine', as he likes to call it, hasn't ever changed for years now. 8 years he thinks, or maybe 7. He can't quite remember exactly. He meets the same people every day. Certain changes had happened of course. Ethel has more corgies. Mrs. Bryant used to walk with her husband but now with little Charlie. However, these little details don't matter really. They happened gradually much to his comfort. He doesn't really talk much to them but learns a bit with everyday encounters. He feels safe and secure in the sameness of his mornings. This is his 'comfortable' now.

As he got back to the house, he finishes his routine by placing carefully his breakfast on the table with the newspaper on the side. He puts away the paper bag to the nearby trash bin. Then sits at the head of the table and puts on his glasses ready to unfold the newspaper with his left hand and enjoy his meal with a fork in his right.

He sighs and opens the paper, strikes the fork on the bacon and begins the day.


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2**

"Don't you think that's a little early" Elsie rolls her eyes. Beryl won't see the gesture over the phone, but she hopes the expression is reflected on her tone.

"No it's not! We'll meet at 530am at the bakery and we'll take the walk together to the fair."

"You do know I wake up at 6 right? ON WEEKDAYS. Am I to wake up earlier on a sunday?!" _The logic here is unfathomable._

"Yes. And take your car with you please." Beryl's nonchalant expression gives no signs of being bothered by Elsie's point.

"I thought you said we're gonna walk?" thoroughly confused now.

"From the bakery to the fair. Honestly, are you even liste-"

*Bells Ringing*

"That's the bell now, Beryl. I have to get to class. I'll text you."

"But-" The call was cut off and Professor Hughes gathers her papers and folder to get to her class.

She'll sort this out with Beryl later. Hopefully, she's a little more patient by the end of the day.

If she's a little bit more selfish, she'll give a flat out no to the idea of going to the Sunday Fair. She's not a big fan of getting up early... especially on a weekend. It's supposed to be spent relaxing and sleeping in, having brunch instead of breakfast and catching up on television shows. But she's not much out of her house if it weren't for Beryl's invitations.

Thinking about it, the flowers might be good at the fair as well. It's been a while since she bought flowers for the house and maybe that's what she'll do throughout the day. She loves arranging flowers but the mood never got to her lately.

Her reverie was cut off when she gets in class.

"Good Morning!" she greets everyone and puts down her things on the table.

The students scramble to get back to their seats and prepare."Pass your papers. And we'll start our discussion for today."

The shuffling of the papers is music to her ears. This is where she belongs, inside the classroom in front, of her students. She gathers the papers and puts them back on the desk. The eager faces of her Literature class make her smile.

"Alright. Let's begin." The echo of her voice seals her place. She's in control here. One of the many reasons she loves her job: Her passion for words and learning mingling beautifully with certainty and security of her control in the classroom.

"Our topic for today…." She opens her syllabus to check "..is Classic Love Stories."

Great. And then there's this.

"Let's talk about falling in love." and gives off an involuntary sigh.

Topics she wants to just get over it. This is gonna be a long discussion.

"Paging Dr. Clarkson in room..." the paging system fades into the background as Charles makes a beeline to the lift.

*Ding*

The doors opens to reveal to Dr. Clarkson

"Charles!" greets him with half-surprise and half-relief as he steps out.

"I'm back Richard." he smiles. Just in time to rescue his friend from the chaos of the hospital.

"I am heading to the pit right now, but I will catch up with you later?"

Charles steps into the lift. He was on leave for the past 2 days. Stayed at home really… but at least away from the busy.

"Yes, Let's have lunch later." He ends the conversation with a nod as the lift closes. He pushes the button number 5.

"Good Morning Dr. Carson" a nurse greets him as soon as he steps out of the lift. He smiles to the nurse and goes directly to the receptionist.

"Good Morning Gwen. Anything for me?"

"You're back Dr. Carson! None out of the usual Doc." A reassuring smile. Everybody knows how Dr. Carson doesn't like surprises or getting anything out of the usual.

"You're subscriptions arrived yesterday." Gwen hands him a package of medical magazines and journals.

"Thank you Gwen. Heard you got engaged, my congratulations!" Gwen blushes at thought of everyone knowing her private affairs.

"Thanks Doc."

He takes the package and heads to room 5G. Before he even reaches his destination, he spots the long line with Cora Crawley in front with baby Edith on her lap and little girl Mary sitting on her nanny next to her.

"Good Morning!" He greets all of his patients before entering the room.

Thomas is waiting for him inside.

"Had a good vacation?" This is his assistant's way of warning him of a long day.

"It was nice." He smiles. "Alright, who's the first?" Better get started with the long line.

"Mrs. Crawley with Edith and Mary. Edith's the patient. Here's her file" Thomas hand him the folder and places a jar of candies on the table.

"Let's begin" as if on cue, Thomas opens the door and lets Cora in with the little girls and the nanny.

"Oh Dr. Carson, I'm so glad you're back. Edith won't stop crying-" Cora explains her worry as Mary sets herself free from her nanny and jumps into Charles' lap and hugs him. "I miss you Doc".

"It's been only a few days darling. And I don't like seeing you here often because that would mean either you or baby Edith is sick." He hands her a candy from the jar and the little girl sprightly jumps off his lap ready to relish on the sweet treat.

He stands and walks towards Cora to examine the baby and take her from her mother's arms. "She's teething Cora" he laughs as he plays with little Edith.

He reassures the mother, "Nothing to worry about… This is perfectly normal. But a few suggestions to help with the crying…"

The morning went on with a blur. He's almost done with his last patient when he saw the clock. 1215.

Just as the last patient had left, Richard enters the room.

"I thought you're going to skip lunch!" He exclaimed.

"Not a chance. How's the hospital while I was gone?"

"Same. How about your 2-day leave? Did you go to the countryside? Had a little rendezvous with a lady friend?" Typical Richard. Still privy and sly.

"Absolutely not." His statement was flat. Just stating the obvious. " I'm not even dating." giving his friend a look that says he's serious.

"Why not? You're an eligible bachelor! Women would love to date you... They wouldn't even care if you don't call after~" playing with his eyebrows to convince Charles how fun casual dating could be.

"You know that's not what I want." he takes off his coat and gathers his things getting ready for lunch.

"But you're not actively seeking what you want Charles! How the hell would you get it? You don't go out at night. The only places you go are your house, your morning jog route and the hospital. Surely you have needs-"

"We are not talking about that." Almost closing back the door as they get out of his clinic.

"We're doctors. How can you still be offended by this?" Richard gives him a look of utter disbelief as they continue their walk tothe lift to get to the 8th floor where the cafeteria is.

"Well we're not talking about it on a medical note aren't we? If I'd consulted you about... my.. my needs.." he struggles to say the words as he looks around to see if anyone's listening to them "that would have been appropriate. This.. right now.. when we're about to get lunch is entirely inappropriate?"

 _"I bet you'd find talking about it in any way at all inappropriate"_ Richard mutters to himself.

"ANYHOW.." a little louder than necessary. "Any progress on the Isobel front?" a change of topic felt necessary. If they continue to talk about his needs, he'd rather have lunch alone.

"Not much..."

They step into the lift.


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3**

* * *

Elsie wakes up with a headache. It wasn't painful per se, but it was insistent.

She started feeling the pillows stuffed beside her, a habit in the last few years, just something to hug in the middle of the night. It was still dark outside and when coherent thoughts started forming in her mind, the first of which was 'Fucking Alarm clock'. Realization sets in that the headache was the insistent buzzing of the damned contraption. She sat up straight and slammed the clock's button hard. 5am.

"I'm going to kill Beryl." she said to noone.

She got out of bed and showered against her will. Last night's welcome home party for William was alright. She's glad to see the boy and it's always fun to hang around Beryl's family but she had to make her excuses because she still had work to do. Beryl was very insistent that she stay but still ended up packing tray after tray of party food for her to take home by 9pm. For some reason, Beryl takes it upon herself to cook a week's worth of food for her and disguises them as party leftovers every weekend. Elsie likes to call them her 'freebies and treats', consistently present for every party Beryl invites her to.

The work she had to do was real for a change, unlike some of the reasons she had to make up for previous parties. She was actually up late that night grading the papers of her students and rearranging her course outline. And so it is an understatement to say that waking up this morning was torture for her.

She arrived at the bakery at 545am. The place is called 'The Hub' which sounds too modern for its looks. Its a cozy little nook where Elsie, Beryl and Isobel usually meets on weekend nights because bakery closes earlier. Its bricked walls adorned with white pillars gives it the country-style homey feel merged with the modern big glass windows. She gets inside and steps on its wooden floors. The clacking sound of her heels announces her arrival and Beryl greets her with "You're late."

"Good Morning to you too Beryl" She puts down her bag on the counter which acts as their official meeting table when its just them friends. "You have noone blame but yourself for making me get up before 6 on a sunday morning." She scans the room and sees Isobel then come out of the kitchen with a plate of cookies. "I didn't know you were coming!" Elsie greets her with a look of surprise as Isobel sat beside her and offered her cookies.

"Beryl called on friday and I was free. Breakfast?" Elsie took one of her cookies and started munching.

"So this fair, are we going now or is there a reason we're here at 6 in the morning?"

Isobel and Beryl exchanged looks.

"Why do you keep mentioning that it's 6 in the morning?" Isobel asked randomly.

Something's going on. Elsie thought.

"Beside the point. Hey~ what is up? And why are you looking at each other like that. What are you not telling me? "

"Well there is a reason" Beryl started. Isobel shuffled about to get something under the table.

"First off, you have to change." Beryl continued.

Isobel shuffled about to get something under the table and handed it to her. "Here."

"What?" was all she could reply.

* * *

The doorbell kept ringing as if someone's life depended on it. Charles had to reluctantly get up to open the door and see who would dare visit him at such ungodly hour. It was 6am on a Sunday.

"Good Morning! Having a late start I see…" Richard greets him the moment he opened the door.

"It's a Sunday." He defends himself from the accusation, his voice deep and throaty from just waking up. He steps aside to let his friend in.

Richard is a regular visitor in his house, or rather the only visitor of his house apart from Thomas who sometimes likes to check in to see if he's still alive. He usually does this late at night to tell him stories of his dates-gone-wrong which is surprisingly often, but he never visits him early in the morning.

"Are you not going for your jog?" Richard asks as he walks toward Charles' kitchen. He takes an apple from a basket on the ceramic counter and takes a bite. He's very at home in Charles' place.

"No. I'm not feeling well." was his short reply.

He was rubbing his eyes when Richard blurts out, "What?" almost choking on the apple. "I need my wingman today! I'm going to see Isobel later at the fair." he adds.

"Since when was I your wingman?" Charles asked incredulously, his bushy eyebrows shooting up high on his forehead.

"Since our birth!" Richard retaliates, "And so far, you're a useless one too."

Richard starts to stand up and walk towards the master's bedroom much to Charles' confusion.

"What are you doing?" Charles asks him watching him move away, his eyebrows still raised.

"I'm going pick out your shirt because you look bad! I can't have my wingman like that. What would Isobel say?" as he continues his way up the stairs. Charles was in his pajamas and he has an uncomfortable feeling of an impending doom regarding the direction of their conversation. There were only a few times Richard had to take action on his fashion choice: First was when he went out on his first in high school and last was on his first divorce hearing; both of which ended up being the worst days of his life. This is an omen.

"I am not your wingman!" Charles shouts from the down the stairs. But Richard has already picked out a shirt and came down to throw it on his face so he knows he doesn't really have a choice.

"You don't even have to do anything." Richard instructs him, " You just have to stand there and make me look good." as if that will appease Charles.

* * *

 **A/N: What do you guys think? Please Review :D**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"Stop fidgeting will yah?" Beryl shouted from three steps behind her.

They have now left the bakery and are finally heading to the fair after an hour of emotional and physical struggle. She's got a bad feeling these two are setting her up. It's not the first time actually, but the most scheming so far. She did not have any suspicions until the weird breakfast they've had. She would have made a run for it but with Beryl locking the door and Isobel holding her down, it was a lot easier to just follow their instructions.

 _Coincidentally, that sounds like the thoughts of a hostage_. She thinks as she finds herself mandated into going with Isobel leading the way and Beryl behind her making sure she is taking the steps.

"Why do I need to wear this dress?" Elsie whines as she tries to tug down the hem of her dress which is proving to be a difficult task as they start walking the uneven path towards the park in black stilettos. "This dress is too high cut! And these shoes are killing me!" letting out an audible sigh.

"Your dress is decently knee length." Beryl tells her with an eye roll.

 _She is not getting out of this, not a chance._ Beryl thinks.

"And how about my neckline?" Elsie retorts as she wraps her cardigan tighter to cover her barely visible cleavage. Well at least her friends let her wear the cardigan, the only clothing she's wearing that is actually hers.

"You look perfectly fine! It's pretty.." Isobel tries to appease her. "Just... stop.. fidgeting.." she adds.

They make it to the fair and Elsie immediately notices how the park transformed into such a lively scene with a number of beautiful stalls setup. The colourful sight calms Elsie down and successfully distracts her from her apprehensions.

Isobel leads them into various alleys around the stalls, knowing exactly where they are headed which makes her wonder who really planned this cunning plan. She first thought it was Beryl. Most of their previous setups were her idea. But with the determined look on Isobel's face, she is very possibly wrong.

With all the commotion of the girls, at the other end of the park is Richard and Charles standing side by side and waiting by one of the flower stalls. Richard decided where he and Isobel would meet. The flower stalls seemed romantic as he imagined the floral scents setting up the ambiance and the colourful background setting up a cheerful vibe. But now, with all the bees buzzing about, he's starting to doubt that decision.

"Would you want to buy flowers?" Charles asks Richard as he notices the gorgeous bundles of roses at the end of the stall.

Richard's face crumples into confusion and so he adds, "To give to Isobel..." as a way of explanation.

"Oh right!" Richard says,suddenly getting his point. "Good thinking Charles! Always knew you're the right wing man to have.." as he digs into his pocket to pay for the roses.

Charles shakes his head as he chuckles. His friend has always been a ladies' man, but it seems that this Isobel has gotten him into knots. He hasn't met her so he does not know why. From what he has gathered from Richard's tales, she's a respectable woman. It's been a while since one of those has captured his friend's interest. Richard has never found the time to introduce them to each other until now and he finds that it a good sign that his friend is taking his time in getting to know the lady.

 _This seems very serious actually_. He thinks.

It pleases him that Richard is showing his serious side. It's been a while since he saw it, decades to be exact. When Richard first fell in love. That did not end well, to say the least and since then, he's only been with girls he'd bed for a night and move on the next day.

"You okay?" Charles asks as he looks at Richard lightly tapping his feet, a habit he has when he is nervous.

"Yup." He answers. "Just be charming okay?" He tells Charles causing him to raise his bushy eyebrows.

"What? Why?" He asks him suspiciously...

"Well.. Okay. I didn't tell you that besides from meeting Isobel, I'm actually introducing you to..." Richard didn't get to finish that sentence when Isobel enters the scene.

"Richard!" She greets him from a few meters away from the stall.

The men looks into her direction and instantly notices her waving.

"Isobel darling.." Richard immediately takes her hand and kisses it before handing her the freshly bought roses.

Charles notices the two women following her closely, a plump woman with a charming smile and shy brunette. He couldn't see much of the brunette's face as she was looking down; shuffling about something he couldn't see.

"Fuck." Elsie whispers to her shoes desperately bending down away from the conversation. Much to her dismay, Beryl noticed.

"Are you alright?" Beryl asks, suddenly concerned. Maybe her complaints about the shoes weren't exaggerated and she might be bleeding into it as of the moment. She leans in closer to look.

"Fuck." Elsie whispers again, a teensy bit louder this time.

Charles noticed the sudden huddling of the women and watches as they continue their exchange in hushed tones. He tilts his head in fascination.

Richard cuts off his thoughts with, "Isobel this is Charles..."

Charles shifts his attention to the woman in front of her and offers his hand for a shake.

"Hello Charles!" Isobel exclaims, "It so nice to finally meet you. I've hear so much about you.." accepting his hand and shaking it vigorously.

"Likewise Isobel.." Charles shakes her hand back. He fidgets a bit when the handshaking felt like it gone longer than it should and Isobel started giving him a look down, which seems as if she's inspecting him. He feels likes a boy under investigation. He tried to look away but then notices Beryl giving him the same scrutiny.

"Charles, Richard.." Isobel starts again finally letting go of Charles' hand, "These are my friends.. Beryl.." and the plump woman steps forward taking his hand shaking it with as much energy as Isobel just did.

"And..." Elsie hesitantly takes the step forward to extend her hand.

In a moment, it dawns on him and quickly takes her hand in both his hands exclaiming "Elsie!".

Elsie looks up against her will and regrets it the moment her eyes meet his.

"Elsie Hughes.." He whispers as he closes the distance between them, not letting go of her hand.

"Hello Charles.." Elsie answers, her voice a mix of different emotions.

"It's been awhile.." Charles says as he takes another step closer. She's becoming aware of how close his face is now to hers and her hand is starting to tingle but can't seem to summon her muscles to take it away from his hold.

"Yes.. it has been." she replies, her eyes still looking at his.

Richard and Isobel raise their eyebrows in astonishment. _So they know each other_ , they both thought while Beryl's eyes widen suddenly realizing the name 'Charles Carson'.

* * *

 **A/N: Not my best chapter I'm sorry :( but I thought I'd better write this down while I have the time. Tried my best in this one though, so please let me know what you think. Reviews?**


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 5**

Elsie practically ran out of the car and into her house as soon as her car engine died. Once inside, she dropped her bag onto the sofa then went straight into the kitchen and got herself a glass of water to wash down whatever it is that has been throbbing in her throat.

"That was Charles?" Beryl asked loudly as she follows her inside the house, "YOUR CHARLES?!" She finally asks the question that has been hanging over their heads the past 10 minutes as Elsie drove them home. It didn't feel safe to ask her while she was driving, considering she was already driving fearfully fast obviously in a hurry to get away.

They did not leave right after the introduction because it would definitely seem rude but after a few minutes of going around the stalls and avoiding Charles, Elsie have had enough. She had to make an excuse of not feeling well so she could go home. Beryl took the hint and immediately said her goodbyes to accompany her while Isobel stayed with Richard and Charles. But before they left, it did not escape Beryl's notice that Charles watched Elsie the whole time they were walking away.

"Yes." Elsie replied after taking a large gulp of water.

"Oh my Lord." Beryl lets out in one long breath as she sits by the counter of Elsie's kitchen. "It's a small world ain't it?" She asks with a side glance to her friend whose staring at her now empty glass. "Are you okay?"

Elsie doesn't know how to answer that. It was bound to happen sometime. She always knew it would happen eventually. But never ever have she imagined that it would be like this.

She looks at Beryl who is expecting an answer. "I don't know." as she places down the glass. She shakes her head down, both arms stretched out on her sides grasping onto the counter for dear life. "I honestly don't know.." she says with a loud sigh. She closes her eyes and he immediately appears in her thoughts. How he looked at her and held her hand just a few minutes before.

 _He still has that smile_ , she thinks to herself. "Dammit!" she utters as she forces her eyes open.

Beryl watches her argue with herself. She always knew it is best to leave her alone at times like these.

She doesn't really know the story behind Charles and Elsie. She met Elsie after college. They had their first jobs together as waitresses in a shabby old cafe and they got along really well. So it wasn't surprising that they decided to start living together. They were roommates for a long time until Elsie moved in with Joe and even then they still spent their free times together. They are each other's best friend but they never got around talking about that part of Elsie's past.

Elsie has always been a serious person which is probably why Beryl was instantly drawn to her mysterious character. She has a lighter side with which her friends brings out in her but her overall demure personality is a nice contrast to Beryl's big and loud one. And even with their differences, they are a good blend together.

She never talked much about her college as Beryl recalls. All Beryl knows is that she took up a degree in Journalism, majored in Literature and broke off an engagement just before graduation. The latter information, she did not even get directly from Elsie; just pale thin band on her left ring finger and a crumpled invitation in the trash that gave her a hint of the unspeakable past. Beryl never tried to ask. It did not feel right to dig up the past if her friend is not willing to talk about it. And Elsie never became ready to talk about it.

After a few months of moving in together, Beryl finally worked out how to open their mailbox. As she was sorting the mail out, a letter from Charles emerged. She can never forget the change in Elsie's expression as she handed her the letter. The way she ran off to her room and locked herself up for a good few hours and coming out later in the evening with tear stained cheeks. She waited for Elsie to open up, but never did. They just shared tea until Elsie felt better.

Beryl being Beryl, she kept the invitation without Elsie's knowledge. That is how she recognized the name 'Charles Carson'. She always thought the info might come in handy. Her memory is not reliable and she would need a reminder of it if the time comes. But 25 years later... she did not expect it would still come.

"I think I might need a lie down.." Elsie tells her as she slowly walks away from the kitchen.

"Yeah you do that." Beryl says, "I'll be going home."

Elsie gives her a weak smile. _Meeting a man has never been more draining than this_ , she thinks as she starts making her way to the stairs.

"Call me when you wake up alright?" Beryl tells her, concerned at how shaken her friend looks at the moment. "Do you want me to stay?" she adds as an afterthought. It might not be a good idea to leave Elsie alone. It's not that her friend has suicidal tendencies, nothing like that; but a familiar presence might help comfort her.

"Don't bother..." Elsie tells her with a weak laugh, "I'm fine..." She tried and failed to reassure Beryl, "Well, I'll be fine! Nothing a good sleep can't cure."

Beryl reluctantly accepts that. It does not seem that she has a choice. Elsie needs a moment to herself and she can understand. We all have those moments. If Elsie doesn't call, she can come back and bring dinner to check in on her.

"Alright." Beryl picks up her bag, "I'll call before dinner just to check." and with that she kisses her cheek goodbye and leaves.

* * *

 **A/N: So I have a bit of time this weekend so now I'm posting another chapter :D I hope some questions are answered by this and although a lot of things are still unclear, We will take that journey into Elsie and Charles past together. Practically begging for reviews now, Please let me know what you think~  
**


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